Jewel Orchid

Description:

Anoectochilus is a genus of orchids in the family Orchidaceae.

Habitat:

Sinharaja Forest Reserve is one of the last primary rainforests in Sri Lanka and is a biodiversity hotspot, it was established as a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978, and a World Heritage site in 1988 by UNESCO. More than 60% of the trees are endemic, it's also home to 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of animals and 95% of the endemic birds of the country. Surrounded in dense fog, the dangerous, dark and mysterious Sinharaja forest is steeped in deep legend and mystery. The word Sinharaja means lion- (සිංහ/சிங்கம் sinha) king or kingdom (රාජ/ராஜா raja), and a popular folk legend has it that a legendary lion lived in this protected forest. 60% of the forest is contained within the border of Rathnapura District, 20% in the Galle District, and 20% in Kaluthara District. The forest is likely to have formed during the Jurassic era and spans over an area of 360 km², it is the most dense rainforest in Asia with 240,000 plants per hectare. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinharaja_...

Notes:

Three species are present in Sri Lanka, Anoectochilus regalis and Anoectochilus roxburghii is found in Sinharaja Forest according to inaturalist map, Anoectochilus setaceus is found in the north of Sri Lanka. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/983095-... https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/983093-... https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/877291-...